The $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) is Saturday (Jan. 27) at Gulfstream Park. The 1 1/8-mile race is for 4-year-olds and up. usracing.com will publish profiles of all the contenders.
You don’t have to finish first in marquee races to make a lot of money. Skippylongstocking has earned nearly $1.6 million without ever running first or second in the Triple Crown or the Breeders’ Cup. He was third in the 2023 Dirt Mile and the 2022 Belmont Stakes, which returned $90,000 and $150,000, respectively. Very lucrative for owner Daniel Alonso, but not for those who bet him to win, place or in exactas.
“Skippy” sat second before tiring in the Belmont and the Dirt Mile. Changing tactics produced his 2023 highlight, the Charles Town Classic (G1), where he and Tyler Gaffalione led throughout 1 1/8 miles on a wet/fast track in a five-length runaway as the 7-5 favorite.
“I was surprised to see him on the lead,” trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. “His ears were going up and down, back and forth, and I just couldn’t believe it.”
Finishing second that night in West Virginia was fellow Pegasus entrant O’Connor, a multiple-stakes winner also trained by Joseph.
Problem: Skippylongstocking is 0-for-5 in Grade 1’s, including last year’s Pegasus, in which he made a mild bid before fading to seventh. The recently turned 5-year-old is getting better with age, but making a quantum leap to beat a high-class field is a tough ask.
Betting advice: He’s never threatened seriously in a Grade 1, so a win bet is a stab. With luck, he might slip into the trifecta or superfecta.
Post position: 12
Odds: 8/1
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Trainer: Saffie Joseph, Jr.
Owner: Daniel Alonso
Age: 5
Career record: 20-6-2-4
Career earnings: $1,594,185
Most recent race: Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Nov. 4, (3rd)
Top Equibase speed figure: 109
Pedigree: Exaggerator-Twinkling, by War Chant
Color: Bay
Running style: Stalker
Notes: He’s raced at 12 tracks in nine states, with nine starts at Gulfstream, where he’s won three times … His only stakes victory there came in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday on Dec. 31, 2022 … His name plays off Pippi Longstocking, the pig-tailed heroine of children’s books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.
| 1 | Nimitz Class | 20-1 | George Weaver | Edgard J. Zayas |
| 2 | O'Connor | 8-1 | Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. | Paco Lopez |
| 3 | Dynamic One | 15-1 | Todd A. Pletcher | Irad Ortiz, Jr. |
| 4 | Hoist The Gold | 12-1 | Dallas Stewart | John R. Velazquez |
| 5 | Trademark | 12-1 | Victoria H. Oliver | Fernando De La Cruz |
| 6 | Senor Buscador | 6-1 | Todd W. Fincher | Junior Alvarado |
| 7 | National Treasure | 9-5 | Bob Baffert | Flavien Prat |
| 8 | First Mission | 7-2 | Brad H. Cox | Luis Saez |
| 9 | Grand Aspen | 8-1 | Todd A. Pletcher | Jose L. Ortiz |
| 10 | Il Miracolo | 20-1 | Antonio Sano | Javier Castellano |
| 11 | Crupi | 20-1 | Todd A. Pletcher | Lanfranco Dettori |
| 12 | Skippylongstocking | 8-1 | Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. | Tyler Gaffalione |
| 13 | Castle Chaos | AE | Robert N. Falcone, Jr. | Tyler Gaffalione |
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
